May 18, 2024
Current Year Results
Results Search
Biggest/Best Boston Qualifier
2024 Results
2023 Results
2022 Results
2021 Results
2020 Results
2019 Results
2018 Results
2017 Results
2016 Results
2015 Results
2014 Results
2013 Results
2012 Results
2011 Results
2010 Results
2009 Results
2008 Results
2007 Results
2006 Results
2005 Results
2004 Results
2003 Results
2002 Results
2001 Results
2000 Results
☰
Steamtown Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Steamtown Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.7 
Organization 4.9 
Spectators 4.7
Number of comments: 608 [displaying comments 571 to 581]
|
A Runner from Watertown, NY
(10/23/2002)
 "Scenic and friendly but watch your quads!" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This was my 28th marathon. The course was very scenic (country roads with some footpaths/abandoned rail beds for about 2/3 of the way) and low on traffic. The organization was outstanding; I was amazed that so many enthusiastic students were up Sunday morning in total darkness at the high school starting point and were happy to see us. The busing to the start was smooth and once there all needs were taken care of including plenty of bathroom facilities. A nice patriotic ceremony at the start. I especially appreciated the food (cookies, bananas, etc) as we got to the last 6-8 miles or so; most marathons I've been in don't have this. There was plenty of water and sports drink and plenty of volunteers at the water stops. The spectators were sparse for the most part (which is why I rated them only 3 stars) but generally supportive and in places their noise more than made up for their small numbers. People were friendly all the way. The finish had everything you needed: massages and lots of food and water. My only complaint was that my quads were killing me by mile 21 and the uphills around mile 23 did me in (not that the uphills were that major but at that point you just don't need uphills). I haven't had my quads scream like that since the last time I ran Boston and I have to assume it was from all the downhills during the first part of the marathon. Overall a good marathon. | |
|
A Runner from Rochester, MN
(10/18/2002)
 "Awesome organization" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Extremely impressed with the organizational skills of the race directors. The prerace infomation was accurate and reliable. The maps and directions given to find the race registration, pasta feed, parking and post race party were superb. The race itself was great with friendly fans and lots of help at the aid stations. Would warn runners entering this marathon that there is a significant portion of this race ran down hill. Pre race information notes this but I failed to appreciate it. Overall a very awesome race. By the way I loved the little town we ran through with all of the elfs and Santas. | |
|
Dan from Rochester 3:11:01 from Rochester, NY
(10/16/2002)
"Memorible" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This was my fifth marathon and I can tell you it was my favorite. I recovered quicker than any other race due to the great support at the massage area after the race. There were two massage therapists working on me at the same time. In January I ran Disney and got charged a dollar a minute! At Steamtown I got a massage for 30 minutes with two therapists and it didn't cost me anything! It was crucial due to the fact that I had my Defensive Tactics roll plays on Monday for the Sheriffs Dept. The race was scenic, the fan support was tremendous and the race committee was outstanding! | |
|
A Runner from washington, D.C.
(10/16/2002)
 "Great marathon" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is a terrific little marathon--very well organized, friendly and helpful people, scenic and fast course. I ran the Marine Corps Marathon the past two falls, and I found the Steamtown experience far more enjoyable. | |
|
Bob Ring from Harrisonburg, VA
(10/15/2002)
"This one is difficult to improve upon" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 The race this year (2002) saw all the critical elements come together for a near-perfect combination of fast course and ideal weather. There must have been a lot of PRs on this day. The temps were in the 50s, cloudy, and no wind. The course is fast, no kidding. There were lots of water stops. Large crowds were out at several points along the course. There was plenty of food at the finish. I can't think of one thing to criticize. I will definitely be back next year, looking to improve my time. Maybe even go for an age-graded PR of my own. The course director and all of the workers on this event deserve huge kudos for a great production. | |
|
A Runner from Callicoon, NY
(10/15/2002)
"overall one of the best of 14 marathons I've run" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Very friendly and very well organized. First 1/2 is very fast. Beware of the last mile of small 'mountains'. Make sure to get an area map though if you don't know Scranton and course towns. Friends had difficulty finding their way to viewing spots along route. Highly recommended event! | |
|
Paul Sikorski from Spencerport, NY
(10/14/2002)
"Great race but respect the hills!" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 The race organizers did a fine job putting on this event, and we enjoyed our experience. The point to point course was beautiful (for the most part) and the spectators were very energetic. 13 water/gatorade stations were advertised but there were many unofficial stations offering everything from water bottles, fruit, baked goods, band aids, cold spray, vasoline, and sweets. The stretch of the course that cut through the trails was a nice change of pace. The roaring spectators made it feel like you were in a cross country race. The size of the field (roughly 1600) was ideal - not too crowded, but there was always people around. Beware of the hills at the end. The elevation chart doesn't do it justice. Train on hills and be conservative at the beginning. Of my three marathons, this one beat my legs up the most. (Downhill isn't always a good thing.) I highly recommend this race. | |
|
A Runner from Delaware
(10/14/2002)
"The Hills have taught me a lesson." (about: 1993)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I've now completed this for the second time. After a disappointing finish in 1997, I thought my reduced mileage after a June injury was the main reason I fell apart in the latter stages of that race. This year I started out more conservatively, holding down the speed on the initial downhill miles and keeping my leglift low so as to minimize the pounding. It was to no avail and I started to slow by 16. The downhills at the end were painful. This was not a case of hitting the wall(I took plenty of gel during the run), but simply becoming so sore I could not stride out anymore. Although I'll continue to do Boston if I can qualify, I won't be running any other downhill marathons. | |
|
A Runner from Rockville, MD
(10/14/2002)
"Great Hometown Feel" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 My summary on Steamtown would be ?if you haven?t done it- do it?. The course is great so long as you don?t go out too fast and burn up those quads too early in the race on the downhills. If you do, by the end you won?t be happy to see any hill, regardless of if it's up or down! The last few miles have a few significant hills but the crowds in these spots are large and encouraging. The town puts on a great race and you really get a ?home town? feel from the start to finish including a personal welcome by the HS Principle, several school bands, cheerleaders, and volunteers in all sorts of crazy outfits. Oh- and don?t be surprised when people cheer for you by name, even if you don't wear it on your shirt! The complete list of competitors is listed in the local newspaper the day before the race. Locals quickly look up your bib number in the paper and cheer for you by name. Recommend staying at the Sheraton downtown for convenience, however the Hampton and other hotels do offer a shuttle to/from the finish line (where you take a bus to the start). Packet Pickup was well organized, expo was OK- about the same vendors you see at races like the Annapolis 10 miler but with a few more 'winter' selections. Aid stations were well staffed and well stocked. I especially appreciated the way they gave you advanced warning that the station was coming up and which table had gatorade vs water. Oh yes, and I really liked the fact that they had grape gatorade for the first half of the race before switching to lemon-lime. Several 'un-official' waterstops also lined the course stocked with everything from fresh well water to home made baked goods! Finish line was easy to navigate and baggage check was a breeze. Good selection of salts, sweets, proteins, and carbs at the finish line. My only recommendation to the race organizers would be to add balloons or something high up to their mile markers. I only missed one marker- but without the heads up from fellow runners, I think I would have missed more. | |
|
A Runner from Yardley, PA
(10/11/2002)
"One of the best" (General Comments)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I was pleasantly surprised when I followed the rolling hills in 2001. The local crowd support was wonderful, as I would return for that reason alone. I like the EXPO, which was held on top of the mountain, under a stadium! We experienced some light snow, which added to the fall charm. Definitely a spot to return! |
Quick Links
Marathon Search
Upcoming US Marathons
Upcoming International Marathons
Search Marathon Results
Latest Running News
Recent Newsletters
Race Director Tools
© 2000-2024, All Rights Reserved by MarathonGuide.com LLC
